Drawing lubricant compositions



Patented Mar. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OF' F l CE' 2,672,976 DRAWING LUBRICANT COMPOSITIONS Wilhelm A. Overath, Rudolf Kallenba'ch, and

Heinrich Fleischhauer, Frankfurt am Main,

Germany,

assignors to Parker'Rust Proof'Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan No Drawing. Application April 29, 1952, Serial No. 285,056

6 Claims.

Such aqueous byv mixing, or fats, fatty oils,

aqueous solutions solutions are usually prepared emulsifying lubricants such as raw wool fatty'acids. These starting materials may be chemically treated with alkali .in accordsistency of hard soap.

The reaction products of the above generally described reaction are preferably employed in the 2 form of an aqueous emulsionforthepurpose of aiding in the deformation of metal. Aqueous emulsions of such reaction products have been found to be especially suitable in the drawing of small diameter steel wire-having a phosphate coating on the surface thereof. The primary advantage of using such emulsionsand lubricants in the drawing of wireliesinthefact that the quality of the surface after deformation igimproved and furthermorathe lifetime of the tools is increased and the useful life of thelubricants is also increased when compared With'heretofore known lubricants utilizedfor comparable purposes.

A typical procedure for the production of an emulsion of this inventionincludes the steps of adding the required proportion of aqueous alkali solution which is necessary for the neutralization and total saponificationof the selected Wool fat or wool fat containingfatty acid. Themixture is heated and agitatedto e'fiect' thesaponificaticn reaction and to produce a product comparable tohard soap. The saponification product may then be'dissolved in a small amount of hot water and diluted to the desired concentration. Care should be taken 'whenusing hard water to first remove the hardness in a conventional manner, or to add I dissolve and disperse'the calcium soaps which are formed. The following example is given in greater detail to more clearly illustrate the meth- 0d of the invention:

As the starting material for the preparation of an effective lubricant, a commercial raw wool fat containing some fatty acid and'having the'following analytical composition was employed:

Acid

No. No.

Saponification N o.

The wool fat, containing fatty acid, was heated to approximately C. and the amount of alkali in the form of sodium hydroxide necessary for the neutralization and total saponification of the fatty acid, was added slowly with constant stirring. A 10% sodium hydroxide solution wa employed, but it will be apparent that other concentrations as well as other wool fat, containing a short time at the reaction temperature. Additionally a preservative such as cresylic acid may chemicals which Will be added. After standing for a short time, the product became solid and had an appearance comparable to a hard soap. The total materials used and their proportions are as follows in parts by weight:

Raw wool fat containing fatty acid 64.8 Sodium hydroxide 6.6 Water 28.6 Cresylic acid .04

To water which had been previously softened with tertiary sodium phosphate and sodium polyphosphate, an amount of the reaction product was added to produce a 2% emulsion. This emulsion had a pH of 9.3. The emulsion was used in the drawing of phosphate coated steel wire in a multiple drawing machine and showed the following significant advantages in comparison to phosphate coated steel wire drawn with commercial drawing lubricants heretofore known. The surface of the drawn wire was lighter and smoother, and the wear on the die during the drawing process was decreased. The useful life of the emulsion was found to be three times as long as that of an alkali soap emulsion having an identical soap content, the alkali soap being one which is commonly used commercially.

Somewhat greater effectiveness of the lubricant may be obtained by incorporating therewith a small amount of a conventional surface-active material or by the addition of suspensions of solid materials known to decrease friction such as, for example, colloidal graphite.

The emulsions of the present invention may also be used for the retreatment of phosphate coated and lubricated metallic materials which have been subjected to metal deformation, and the beneficial effects of the presence of the lubricant emulsion are likewise obtained. It is to be understood that the use of the lubricants of this invention are not limited to the treatment of phosphate coated wire, but that they may also be used with advantage for dry drawing and in the absence of a phosphate or other chemically formed coating.

What is claimed is:

l. A process for the production of lubricants for use in the deformation of phosphate coated metal comprisng the steps of adding water and an alkali metal hydroxide to a material selected from the group consisting of wool fats and Wool fats containing fatty acids, heating and agitating the mixture, said hydroxide and water being present in an amount sufiicient to form a saponification product having the consistency of a hard soap, and forming an aqueous emulsion of the said saponification product.

2. A process in accordance with claim 1, where- 4 in the alkali metal hydroxide is added in a quantity sufiicient to produce a pH of at least eight.

3. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the said alkali metal hydroxide is added in a quantity sufficient to completely neutralize the free fatty acid present in the said fat and to completely saponify all of the saponifiable components of the said fat.

4. The method of deforming metal which comprises the steps of applying to the surface of the metal having a phosphate coating thereon a lubricant consisting essentially of the products of reaction of a material selected from the group consisting of wool fats and wool fats containin fatty acids with an aqueous alkali metal hydroxide and being in the form of an aqueous emulsion of said reaction products, said reaction products having a pH higher than about eight, and thereafter deforming the metal.

5. The method of deforming metal which comprises the steps of applying to a metal having a phosphate coating on the surface thereof an aqueous emulsion of a lubricant consisting essentially of the saponification products of wool fat and wool fat containing fatty acids, said emulsion of said saponification products having a pH higher than about eight, and thereafter deforming the metal.

6. A lubricant for use in the deformation of phosphate coated metals consisting of (1) a 2% emulsion of the product of reaction of 64.8 parts of raw wool fat containing fatty acid, 6.6 parts of sodium hydroxide and 28.6 parts of water, said raw wool fat containing fatty acid having a saponification number of 144, an acid number of 90, an iodine number of 28, and containing 15% unsaponifiable components, and (2) .04 part of cresylic acid.

WILHELM A. OVERATH.

RUDO-LF KALLENBACH. HEINRICH FLEISCHHAUER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,169,444 Dahlberg Aug. 15, 1939 OTHER REFERENCES Lewkowitsch-Chemical Technology and Analysis of Oils, Fat and Waxes, London, 1915, vol. 3, page 435. (Copy in Div. 64.)

Williams: Some Aspects of Boundry Lubrication by Soap Solutions, Journal of Physical Chemistry, v01. page 3111.

Martin: Modern Soap and Detergent Industry, London, 1931, vol. 1, sec. VII, page 50. 

1. A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LUBRICANTS FOR USE IN THE DEFORMATION OF PHOSPHATE COATED METAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ADDING WATER AND AN ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE TO A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WOOL FATS AND WOOL FATS CONTAINING FATTY ACIDS, HEATING AND AGITATING THE MIXTURE, SAID HYDROXIDE AND WATER BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO FROM A SAPONIFICATION PRODUCT HAVING THE CONSISTENCY OF A HARD SOAP, AND FORMING AN AQUEOUS EMULSION OF THE SAID SAPONIFICATION PRODUCT.
 4. THE METHOD OF DEFORMING METAL WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF APPLYING TO THE SURFACE OF THE METAL HAVING A PHOSPHATE COATING THEREON A LUBRICANT CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF THE PRODUCTS OF REACTION OF A MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WOOL FATS AND WOOL FATS CONTAINING FATTY ACIDS WITH AN AQUEOUS ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND BEING IN THE FORM OF AN AQUEOUS EMULSION OF SAID REACTION PRODUCTS, SAID REACTION PRODUCTS HAVING A PH HIGHER THAN ABOUT EIGHT AND THEREAFTER DEFORMING THE METAL. 